An autopilot system can be used to control flight characteristics of an aircraft (e.g., pitch and roll, yaw, climb and descent, etc.) without constant hands-on control by a pilot/human operator. Under certain conditions, autopilot systems can be configured to be mechanically disengaged from a flight control mechanism (e.g., control stick, yoke, etc.) and thereby overridden by a pilot, typically by breaking a shear pin that mechanically fuses the flight control mechanism with a component of the autopilot systems, such as a servo.